Original subtitles

(exciting music)

- [Narrator] Our journey begins

on the coast at Saint-Nazaire

and the mouth of the River Loire.

And along the river valley are some of the finest castles,

palaces and houses in France.

As we head up river past Nantes,

the main towns on our journey will be Angers,

Tours, Blois, and Orleans.

Some of the palaces we will see are enormous and ancient,

built over 400 years ago.

Many of the castles date back even further in time.

At Orleans we head northeast, away from the river,

to end our journey at two palaces,

first Fontainebleau, and then on to

one of the architectural masterpieces of Europe,

Vaux-le-Vicomte.

Saint-Nazaire, on the north bank of the Loire estuary,

came into prominence during the 19th century

when the harbor expanded,

ship building began, and the railway arrived.

The harbor is perhaps most famous for

the daring, and successful, British Commando raid

during World War Two,

when an old ship, full of explosives,

was rammed into the dock gates

to prevent the use of the dry dock

by large German battleships.

The Germans used Saint-Nazaire

as a base for naval operations in the Atlantic,

and inside the harbor is an enormous old German U-Boat pen

with concrete an incredible nine meters thick,

which was capable of withstanding any Allied bomb.

The robustness of its construction

means that even today demolition would be uneconomical.

The base is now used by cafes, a bar,

and on the roof is an exhibition about the harbor.

The Loire is the longest river in France

at 1,012 kilometers. (gentle music)

It's been referred to as the Garden of France

and is flanked by hundreds of historic estates,

as well as the many famous French wine regions

that line the banks,

Muscadet, Sancerre, Pouilly-Fume.

The city of Angers lies in the Loire Valley

three miles north of the river

on a small tributary.

The Chateau d'Angers has a history stretching back

to the Romans who had a fort on the site.

The seventeen massive towers were built in the 14th century,

and reduced in height during the 16th century

with the stone used for developing the growing town.

Further damage was done to the castle

during the German occupation of World War II

when a munitions dump inside the chateau exploded.

But, even with

all that's happened to the castle over the years,

it's still an impressive sight.

(bright music)

An equally impressive site,

and the first many on this journey,

is the Chateau du Plessis-Bourre.

It was built in only five years from 1468

and has been altered externally very little since then.

It even has the original working drawbridge.

The style of conical roofs

is something which can be seen

in many of the houses and palaces

along the Loire Valley.

The river provides water for the fertile valley

where farmland and vineyards are interspersed.

Large parts of the landscape are also forested,

with many of these forests going back to medieval days

when they were used as hunting parks

attached to the different chateaux along the valley.

The Chateau de Saumur stands on the edge of a forest,

overlooking the river and town of the same name.

It was built in the 13th century

and later became the home of the Dukes of Anjou.

Over the centuries

it has been used as a military barracks

and a state prison under Napoleon Bonaparte.

Today it is undergoing extensive restoration.

Another castle is ten miles to the south

on a small tributary of the Loire,

the Chateau de Montreuil-Bellay.

The castle seen today dates from the 13th century,

with the turreted curtain wall built in the 15th century.

During the French Revolution

it was taken over by the new government

and turned into a women's prison for suspected royalists.

In 1822 it was bought by a rich local merchant

who divided the castle into rental units.

His daughter then took over the whole property

and her descendants continue to live in the castle today.

Standing in the middle of farmland

is the stronghold of the Chateau du Rivau.

The castle was once four sided

with turret towers on each corner.

As the turrets projected out from the wall

they were able to protect the entrance

with an enemy trying to get across the drawbridge.

Since 1992 the castle has undergone

a great deal of restoration.

The design of the castle

is in a classic 15th century French style

with the aim of showing off

the power and wealth of the owner.

(stately harpsichord music)

By the 17th century styles had changed

and the Chateau d'Oiron,

on the southern edge of the Loire Valley,

has been built as a house rather than a fortress,

and the design has

been influenced by classical ideas from ancient Rome.

At the end of the 17th century

the house was lived in by Madame de Montespan,

she's been King Louis XIV's mistress

and moved into the Chateau after he had tired of her.

The Chateau was then ransacked in the 1790's

during the French Revolution

and left largely abandoned

until it was bought by the state in the 1930's

and turned into a very successful modern art museum.

On the north bank of the River Vienne,

close to where it meets the Loire,

is the Chateau de Chinon.

This massive fortress was built in the 12th century

by King Henry II of England,

who was also ruler of this area of France,

which at the time was the separate kingdom of Anjou.

King Henry died in the castle

and he and his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine,

as well as his son Richard the Lionheart,

are all buried in a nearby abbey.

The castle was partially restored

in the in the 19th century.

At the confluence of the Vienne and Loire rivers

is the Chateau de Montsoreau,

built in 1455 as a strategic fortress

controlling river traffic along the Loire.

Like so many other castles in this valley,

it was in near ruins by the end of the 19th century

until it was bought by the local council

and eventually restored and turned into a museum

(gentle music)

On another tributary of the Loire

is the Chateau d'Azay-le-Rideau.

It was built by a rich financier

who wished to establish his new nobility.

It was designed

in the first stirrings of the new French Renaissance style

of the early 16th century,

and sits in a dammed section of the River Indre.

The 19th century writer Honore de Balzac

described the Chateau d'Azay-le-Rideau

as bathing in the Indre River like a princely creature.

The Chateau de Villandry

is also built in the French Renaissance style

and incorporates a 14th tower fortress,

but what marks this Chateau out from the others

is the spectacular formal garden.

Once owned by Napoleon's brother, Joseph Bonaparte,

the Chateau fell into disrepair

and was on the verge of being demolished

before being bought by a Spanish doctor, Joachim Carvallo,

in 1906.

He then poured an enormous amount of time,

money and devotion into restoring the chateau

and creating one of the most beautiful gardens in the world.

And like many other chateaux of the Loire

it is now a World Heritage Site.

The gardens are laid out in a classic formal style

with several kilometers of box hedging.

There are all sorts of water features,

ornamental flower gardens, and even a vegetable parterre.

Ten miles up the Loire

is the largest city in central France, Tours.

The 12th century cathedral

stands on the south bank of the river.

It was the arrival of the railway in the 19th century

that saw the city revive its fortunes

as it began to expand into the surrounding countryside.

And in that countryside

are some of the hundreds of vineyards

that lie along the banks of the Loire.

(cheerful guitar music)

In the Vouvray wine region

is one of the the oldest vineyards in the Loire Valley,

here at the Chateau Moncontour.

Way back in the 10th century

caves were excavated in the river bank

to mature and preserve the wine.

By the 15th century Vouvray's fame

had spread across much of Northern Europe

and the vineyards were cultivated

in the best positions overlooking the river.

The chateau itself dates back to the 15th century

though it was severely damaged by fire

and nearly destroyed during the French Revolution.

In fact, going back even further in time to the 4th century

the estate belonged to the Bishop of Tours.

Vouvray is made from the Chenin Blanc grape,

which can be enjoyed in dry wines, sweet ones,

and also in a sparkling version.

Due to the abundant acidity

Vouvray can age for quite some time,

and also some varieties can be drunk when young.

Up river is the royal Chateau d'Amboise,

which King Charles VII

seized from Louis d'Amboise in 1434

after condemning him to death

for plotting against the crown.

Charles then set about extensively rebuilding the chateau

into a favorite of French kings during the 16th century.

He also laid out

the first formal renaissance style garden in France.

Like so many other palaces along the Loire

it fell into disrepair over the centuries

and large parts were demolished,

but it is still an imposing sight.

As is the Pagoda of Chanteloup, the only surviving bit

of the now demolished Chateau de Chanteloup.

This Chinese inspired tower is 44 meters tall

and, rather like a wedding cake, has seven tiers.

Inside a staircase allows visitors to climb to the top

and look down into the semi-circular reflecting pool.

The pagoda was built by the Duc de Choiseuil in 1775

when he was exiled to his estate for defying King Louis XV.

He saw it as a temple of friendship for all the well-wishers

who came to see him during his disgrace.

(bright classical music)

This is the Chateau de Chenonceau,

and surely one of the most sublime in the Loire Valley.

With the palace built across the River Cher

and the arches reflected in the still water

the sheer beauty of Chenonceau has made it

the most visited of all the chateau of the Loire.

The main section was built in the 1520's

but was later seized by the crown for unpaid debts.

It was then given to the King Henry II's mistress,

Diane de Poitiers, who improved the house

and built a bridge across the river.

After the king's death

his wife and regent, Catherine de Medici,

had Diane de Poitier expelled from Chenonceau

by exchanging it for the Chateau de Chaumont,

which we will see later.

In the 1560's Catherine de Medici

would spend a fortune on the house,

and most importantly build a gallery on top of the bridge

that gives Chenonceau its shape today.

She also replanted the garden in a formal style.

The queen held spectacular parties, often at night,

and it's said she held

the first ever firework display in France.

After her death in 1589

the chateau went through a series of owners

until one of them in the early 18th century

sold off all the contents.

Chenonceau was saved during the revolution

because the bridge was the only one for many miles.

In 1913 the Menier family, famous for their chocolates,

bought the house, restored it, and still own it today.

And in a final thought,

Chenonceau played a part during World War II,

as the bridge separated Nazi occupied France

with the French free zone on the opposite bank

and was used by many people to escape.

(mellow music)

Continuing upstream along the Loire

is the Chateau de Chaumont,

which Diane de Poitier moved to

after being forced out of Chenonceau.

It was built on a hill overlooking the river

in the early 1500's in a medieval fortress style

but decorated with some early renaissance details.

In the 18th century the north wing of the castle

was demolished to provide a better view of the river.

After much neglect the state bought Chaumont in 1938

and it's now a museum.

Ten miles up the Loire is the town of Blois

and it's enormous royal chateau,

which was a residence of several French kings.

The Chateau de Blois

was built between the 13th and 17th centuries,

comprising several buildings around the main courtyard.

The palace has 564 rooms, each with its own fireplace,

75 staircases and 100 bedrooms.

One of the best known parts of the palace

is the monumental staircase built in 1515.

It's covered with decorative sculpture

and dominates the central courtyard.

At the end of this long avenue is the Chateau de Cheverny,

which was completed in 1650 for the Hurault family.

The house has been built in a rigidly symmetrical design

with a roof line which seem to break the building

into five separate sections.

During the French Revolution

the family had to give up much of their wealth

and therefore were forced to sell the house in 1802,

but they bought it back in 1834.

In 1914 the chateau was opened to the public,

one of the first great French houses to do so.

Children visiting may well feel they recognize the chateau

because the Belgian comic book creator Herge

used Cheverny as the inspiration for Marlinspike Hall

in his Adventures of Tintin books

A few miles to the north is the Chateau de Villsavin,

built in the 1530's for Jean Le Breton.

The chateau was constructed by the master craftsmen

who had worked at the royal palaces on the Loire.

This was because Jean de Breton

was secretary of finance to King Francois I

and also superintendent of works for the hunting lodge

that the king was building in a forest four miles away,

the Chateau de Chambord.

(lively music)

This is perhaps one of the best known

and most recognizable chateaux in the world,

because of its monumental scale

and distinctive French Renaissance style.

It is a mixture of old medieval forms

with new classical ideas from Italy.

The enormous roof line

is a mass of intricate designs of chimneys and cupolas

that almost resemble a skyline of a fantasy town.

The project was so costly that it was never finished

and only the central section and north side were completed.

So who designed this enormous palace?

One suggestion is that Leonardo da Vinci,

who had been a guest of King Francois

at another Loire chateau, was responsible.

However, there is no real evidence to prove it.

And in fact to this day it's still a matter of controversy

as to who really was the architect of Chambord.

The king spent barely seven weeks a year at the chateau

on short hunting visits.

And any visit at the time

meant that all the furniture and wall coverings

had to be transported, unpacked

and then packed up after the hunting trip finished.

Future kings largely abandoned Chambord

and Napoleon gave it to one of his generals,

who then sold it.

After many owners, who tried to look after it,

the state took over and it is now a very popular museum.

(gentle music)

Today the River Loire has around 150 bridges across it,

many of them historic.

This is the bridge at Beaugency,

which has a history stretching back to the 14th century.

During its long life the bridge has been extended,

repaired and parts rebuilt.

The different shaped arches give a clue to all this work.

Over the centuries floods and ice in winter

have caused much damage.

War also played its part,

because in 1870 one span was destroyed

on the order of the French military

during the Franco-Prussian War.

In the 1970's this historic bridge,

which was becoming unstable,

was completely restored and shored up.

Today the River Loire is navigable for large boats

for only about thirty miles,

but 200 years ago the river was an important trading route

and flat bottomed barges

could travel over 200 miles upstream to Orleans.

The city is dominated

by one of the largest cathedrals in France,

Sainte-Croix d'Orleans,

which was first built in the 13th century

and then rebuilt in the 16th century

after being damaged in war.

At Orleans the River Loire bends to the south

and our journey heads northeast to a royal palace.

(stately music)

This is the Palace of Fontainebleau

and the work of many French monarchs.

It was begun back in the 16th century,

and is arranged around a series of courtyards.

It was Francois I, creator of Chambord,

who built the initial courtyard.

Succeeding French kings then added more.

But by the middle of the 17th century

Fontainebleau began a steady decline

as the palace of Versailles

took over the interest of King Louis XIV.

During the French Revolution of the late 18th century

the entire contents of the Fontainebleau were sold off

to ensure it could not be used as a royal palace again.

However, within a decade

Napoleon Bonaparte began to transform the palace

into a symbol of his grandeur.

And it was here in 1814

that he bade an emotional farewell to his Old Guard

before going into exile on the Isle of Elba.

A few miles to the north

is the final destination of this journey

and one of the greatest architectural masterpieces

of not only France, but of the world,

the Chateau de Vaux-le-Vicomte.

(bright martial music)

In 1641 a young parliamentarian called Nicolas Fouquet

bought an old castle and estate at Vaux-le-Vicomte.

Fifteen years later he had risen to the powerful position

of finance minister to King Louis XIV.

And in this position he was able to amass a small fortune,

which meant he could begin construction

of what was to become the finest chateau

and garden in France.

The spectacular achievement we see today

was the result of Fouquet

picking the best people to carry out his dream.

The first was the architect Louis Le Vau,

the second was the painter and decorator Charles Le Brun

and the third was the garden designer Andre le Notre.

Working closely with their patron

they were to create not only a spectacular house

but also a center and haven

for leading French artists of the day,

all of whom contributed to the beauty of Vaux.

For the plan of the garden to work

Fouquet purchased, and then demolished, three villages.

The displaced villagers were then employed

in the upkeep and maintenance of the gardens.

It was said that he employed 18,000 workers

to create the gardens at a staggering cost

in today's money of around $150 million.

All this wealth and influence meant Fouquet had enemies

and they conspired to ruin him.

In August of 1661

Fouquet held a spectacular garden party for the King

to show off his new house and garden.

It was to be his downfall,

because it was not a good idea to outshine the king,

who had Fouquet arrested for embezzlement

and imprisoned for life.

Louis then confiscated most of the furniture,

tapestries and pictures,

as well as all the garden statues and orange trees.

He also took the three designers,

Le Vau, Le Brun and Le Notre and put them to work

on his new palace, Versailles.

By 1875 Vaux-le-Vicomte was in a terrible state,

but luckily for us today,

it was bought by a French industrialist, Alfred Sommier

who, together with his descendants,

slowly brought the great chateau brought back to life,

so that visitors can marvel

at this quite fantastic palace and garden,

a perfect place to end this journey.

(pastoral music)

(whooshing)